Here is the revelation that is shaping my life today – you don’t know God the way you know many other things. God is love and love is not known intellectually, it’s known as mystery through the face to face of intimacy. We try and know things about God without knowing Him, knowing His love. No wonder most of what we believe we know is wrong. If our knowing is not shaped by face to face presence with Him, then we risk wrong believing. You don’t wrestle beliefs from intellectual study of words, you become alive to beliefs from the beauty of His smile. It is here alone where spiritual awakening takes place as He cascades his light into me.
2 Corinthians 4:6 TPT
[6] For God, who said, “Let brilliant light shine out of darkness,” is the one who has cascaded his light into us-the brilliant dawning light of the glorious knowledge of God as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.
Observation
God who started creation by speaking forth “let there be light,” is the same God who gives spiritual enlightenment. Paul uses light as both literal and a metaphor for spiritual revelation. The “glorious knowledge of God,” is gifted to us, it is He who “cascades his light into us.” We do not intellectually wrestle our understanding of God through the means of rigorous study. Concepts of God become alive only in face to face presence. The beauty of God is beyond conceptual form, it is only seen in the heart, the soul, and these are only engaged by encounter, through experience, and this only happens face to face. The engagement with thoughts, theological concepts, ideas about God, must be brought to the intimacy of face to face presence if they are to become “glorious knowledge,” and not simply dry beliefs.
As a follower of Jesus my posture must always be discovery, for God is mystery. I must not seek certainty that makes me feel secure in my knowledge, this only leads to defence of what I have perceived as ‘my’ idea of truth. I don’t lean into the beauty of what I think I know, I stand on it and defend it. Whereas mystery postures me for discovery and discovery is the adventure of face to face encounter. My security is in His smile, that I now know and have seen, not with eyes that would be able to describe, but through the mystery of face to face encounter. The cascading of His light only happens when I look into His eyes.
Why do we settle for intellectual knowing when we are invited into face to face presence knowing? One glimpse can change my world more deeply and profoundly than a doctorate degree that never saw the smile in His eyes for me. I will only ever become an image bearer when I have seen face to face the image I am to reflect.
Application
Never loose the invitation to intimate presence. Never allow anything, my behaviour, shame, condemnation, busyness, self reliance, distractions, pain, disappointment, security of belief, uncertainty, mystery, to keep me from the invitation of face to face to presence. I can’t be me if I am not present to Him. I will take all my intellectual reflections into His presence for their musings to become alive and reflected.
Response
Thank you that you desire seen knowing not abstract knowing. Thank you that all knowing is founded in being loved by you. Thank you that you don’t desire that I study and know by words written, but that your words lead to knowing in your eyes. Thank you that bearing your image is not a game of rigorous dutiful imitation, but flows through the reflection of your beauty encountered. I love this life you cal me too!
Meditation
Meditate – the glorious knowledge of God comes as we gaze into the face of Jesus Christ.
Consider:
How often do you gaze?
Do you know the smile of His eyes?
JOURNEY DEEPER
